Joes retain Overall Boys’ title, Lyceum Wattala Girls champs
St. Joseph’s College, Colombo retained their Overall Boys Championship at the 45th National Age Group Swimming Championship which came to a close last Sunday at the Sugathadasa Swimming Complex.
While the Joes clinched the Boys championship, Lyceum International School, Wattala were crowned as the Girls Overall Champions. In this four-day event over 3000 young swimmers competed for supremacy.
St. Joseph’s, with a total of 83 points, finished at the top while their arch rivals, St. Peter’s College, Bambalapitiya, with 72 points, occupied the second spot. Killer Whale Aquatics and Ananda College with 66 and 62 points ended in the third and fourth places respectively.
Lyceum International School, Wattala had a plain sail to the Overall Championship with a total aggregate of 111 points. Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo with 73 points settled in the second place while Sirimavo Bandaranaike Balika Vidyalaya and Mahamaya Girls School were tied in the third place with 60 points each.
Over 30 records were established in this year’s edition with 22 of them happening on Day One of the meet. Dimuth Akalanka Peiris (4 Records), Mihith Ekneligoda (2 Records), Hiruki de Silva (3 Records) and Dilanka Shehan (3 Records) stood above the other swimmers to establish most number of individual records.
Twelve swimmers both in girls and boys categories were awarded for their exceptional performances in this four day mega event.
In the Under-11 category, Vandani Fernando and Mihith Ekneligoda were adjudged Best Swimmers in the Boys’ and Girls’ sections respectively. Kalutara Balika Vidyalaya’s Fernando collected 15 points while Anandian Ekneligoda also collected 15 points.
Buddhima Samadi of Defence Services College clinched the Under-13 Girls’ individual award with 20 points. In the Boys category Damiru Wickremathunga of Lyceum Intl’ School, Wattala and Binura Talagala of Lyceum Intl’ School, Nugegoda with 20 points each shared the award.
Hiruki de Silva, the Gateway College, Dehiwala ace swimmer won the Girls’ individual title with 23 points while in the Boys category, Vanuja Kannangara of St. Joseph’s College and Chris Pavithra from St. Peter’s College with 20 points each, tied for the Boys Under-15 award.
In the Under-17 category Daeva Rashmi of Lyceum Intl’ Wattala, with 28 points, carried away the Girls award while Alvin Arulmaran of Gateway College, Colombo, with 20 points, won the Boys section award.
Visakhian Sandu Savindi took the Girls Under-20 title with 25 points and in the Boys category Akalanka Peiris and Revan Senarathne of CIS, with 25 points each, tied for the top position.